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It’s hard to believe, but that all happened in the Grapevine Thursday morning, forcing the CHP to close the northbound and southbound lanes. Both directions of the Golden State (5) Freeway reopened at about 9:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The slippery roads led to several crashes, but no serious injuries, said Officer Francisco Villalobos.

Damaging winds, approaching hurricane-strength, are expected across the mountains north of Los Angeles Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

At 9 p.m. Wednesday, a gust of 39 mph was recorded in the Malibu Hills area, and a gust of 36 mph at Los Angeles International Airport, said Dave Bruno of the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The winds moved heavy patio furniture in Marina Del Rey.

A springtime cold weather system that brought brief periods of snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains has dried up before it reached Southern California, but set up a strong west-to-east airflow across Southern California.

"The storm's basically starved for moisture, but we have a lot of cold air pouring in," National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Rourke said.

A high wind warning remains in effect for the mountains of northern Los Angeles County through 6 a.m. Friday. Gusts of up to 70 miles an hour may cross the Golden State (5) Freeway north of Santa Clarita and 60 mph gusts can be expected in Lancaster and the rest of the Antelope Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds will peak Thursday and Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.